The alleged chemical weapons attack in Khan Sheikhoun led rapidly and directly to the attack by the US on a Syrian airbase, shared with the Russians, so it is important to look at the evidence in order to discover the truth of what happened. Continue Reading…

by Nicolas BoeglinProfessor of International Law, Law Faculty, Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR)

A collective open letter signed by a great number of professors of international law and researchers entitled « A plea against the abusive invocation of self-defence as a response to terrorism » has been circulating on the web for the last few weeks. Continue Reading…

A comparison of the just-published Human Rights Watch Report on the cache of “Caesar” photos with the report prepared in January 2014 on behalf of Carter-Ruck indicates some remarkable discrepancies and raise some serious questions about the whole process of analysis of this cache of photographs. Continue Reading…

Nicolas Boeglin,
Professor of International Law, Law Faculty, University of Costa Rica (UCR)

A few days ago, Prime Minister David Cameron appealed to Parliament Members to vote in favour of Royal Air Forces (RAF) air strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, in order to “keep the British people safe” from the threat of terrorism. At the opening of a 10-hour Commons debate on December 2, the Prime Minister said the country had no other choice. In the report presented to the Parliament (see full text ) he stressed that: “I believe that the UK should now join Coalition airstrikes against ISIL in Syria” (p. 7) and that “On 20 November 2015, the UN Security Council unanimously called on Member States to use all necessary measures to prevent and suppress terrorist acts committed specifically by ISIL, and to deny them safe haven in Syria and Iraq” (p. 8). In page 15 of this same document, he also indicated just after quoting Resolution 2249 that “there is a clear basis for military action against ISIL in Syria”. Continue Reading…

British Prime Minister David Cameron is attempting to persuade the UK parliament to support an extension of UK air strikes, ostensibly aimed at “degrading” ISIS, from Iraq to Syria. However, his argument that the action would have a clear legal basis is, despite the progressive undermining of international law by UK and US governments, denied by leading legal scholars. Continue Reading…

Gary Webb (1955-2004), the investigative journalist who reported cocaine trafficking by the CIA in 1996, is portrayed in the motion picture, Kill the Messenger, by Jeremy Renner which is released this month. Continue Reading…

Amnesty have published a few satellite images apparently showing armoured vehicles and artillery in an area in Eastern Ukraine and claim these prove the involvement of Russian troops in the country. However, the research Amnesty has published falls far short of proof, and in a matter of such importance, undermines the organisation’s claim to provide impartial and unbiased research. Continue Reading…